JP-- lately, it seems like the high mid majors really struggle to pick up autobids. The A-10 can do it but I really don't count them as a mid major because they are the bottom of the top tier of men's basketball. The WCC can do it but only thanks to the trio of Gonzaga, St Mary's, and BYU but they are about the only ones. A 14 member C-USA can't even get two bids. With that said, do you think that mid majors who have enjoyed basketball success are better off staying in their regional leagues and dominating them rather than trying to piece together a league together or chasing the A-10 where they can expect to be middling programs?

I assume you mean "at-larges" or "multiple" bids. Yes, the A-10 is a major conference now because they always get 3+ bids.

There's two reasons mid-majors are dead:#1 - The basketball mid-majors got raided by the Big East & A-10 (Butler, Creighton, VCU, George Mason - and Memphis, Tulsa, BYU) #2 - The football mid-majors over-expanded for football and their RPI games got crushed (MWC, C-USA).

You mentioned the 14-team Conference USA. Prime example.

We all know every conference goes .500 against itself. The top of your league is going to be 16-2, 15-3, 14-4. Which means if they don’t suck OOC, they have a record worthy of an at-large bid… if their RPI is high enough.

When Dayton, GW, Davidson finish 1-2-3 in the A-10, they’ll be like 25-7 to 22-10When MTSU, ODU, LA Tech finish 1-2-3 in Conference USA, they’ll be 23-9 to 19-13

The A-10 opponents those three will beat, will be on average: 17-13; So the A-10’s Top 3 will be in the 20, 30, 40 RPI range (all dance)The C-USA opponent those three will beat, will be on average, 14-16, but C-USA’s Top 3 will be in the 70, 90, 105 RPI range (one bid league)

What conference realignment has done is consolidated the power so almost all the successful OOC teams in the same few conferences. The old CollegeRPI.com website has data available from 1994-2015. Here’s the number of conferences in OOC Win Pct ranges:

Well, the A10 got teams 1-1-4 into the dance, instead of their three first place teams, and fourth place (And I'm filled with murderous rage).

It will be interesting to see how the A-10 reacts.

There's a rumor that the A-10 has a "only one road guarantee game" policy, where schools aren't allowed to take a big check from a big school and play on the road more than once, so that everyone gets wins OOC and everyone helps the league's RPI.

Which was a sound strategy. Generally speaking teams in the bottom half going 9-3 or 10-2 OOC and then being 8-14 in the conference standings... no one cares about your OOC SOS. In the unlikely event you win the league after a weak OOC SOS... the only way you're left out of the dance is if you get MONUMENTALLY SCREWED LIKE ST. BONAVENTURE.

I hope the A-10 doesn't overreact to the Bonnies snub, because that kind of season is gonna happen 1 time in a hundred seasons. It was the perfect storm. Are the Bonnies even in the mix if Rhode Island's best player doesn't tear his ACL? The Bonnies beat URI, but if Matthews is healthy, not only does URI beat Bona once, but they probably split with St. Joe's. There'd be more bubble teams and less safely in teams, which makes VCU more of a bubble team (depending on their game with URI).

The A-10 (or top 8 of the A-10) should strongly consider forming a new league and abandoning LaSalle & Fordham in favor of Wichita State and Northern Iowa. Is it sad that I'm hoping UMass leaves so we have an excuse to add the Shockers?

Bona would lose the extra games with St. Joe's & UMass (went 4-0), and replace it with two Wichita State games (so say -1)Dayton would lose URI & LaSalle (2-2) and get two Wichita State games.St. Joe’s would lose Bona (0-2) and get one WSU game (0). VCU would replace SLU with WSU (0)GW would replace Duquesne with WSU (0)Davidson would replace Duquesne with WSU (0)

I think the A-10 could stand to lose St. Louis and Dayton, which would return it to an eastern seaboard conference.

Dayton and St. Louis (along with Marquette and DePaul) were non-Football CUSA refugees back in 2003. The first two went to A-10 and the latter two to the Big East.Love to see the Big East take in St. Louis and Dayton.

IF that were to happen, I really don't think the A-10 needs to add anybody. They would be at 12, right ?

I think the A-10 could stand to lose St. Louis and Dayton, which would return it to an eastern seaboard conference.

Dayton and St. Louis (along with Marquette and DePaul) were non-Football CUSA refugees back in 2003. The first two went to A-10 and the latter two to the Big East.Love to see the Big East take in St. Louis and Dayton.

IF that were to happen, I really don't think the A-10 needs to add anybody. They would be at 12, right ?

If Dayton was the only school taken by ...say, the Big East. Would you like to see SLU rejoin the MoValley?

SLU would be a nice fit in MO Valley, but they keep thinking that since they are Jesuit, they can claim a spot in the Big East.

Their basketball is up and down. They're good for a while, then stink for 5 years.Travis Ford is new coach, and did some decent recruiting, then a bunch of the players are caught up in rape allegations from last summer.

If they were in the MO Valley, It's been a LONG while ago.

I remember them in the METRO Conference, the Midwest Cities Conference, and CUSA.Their rivals have been midwestern Catholic schools (DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame) and then some colleges that had football & were independent in FB, but have since joined other conferences (like Louisville, Memphis, Cincy, Tulane)

Big East would be nice (bridge to Creighton), MO Valley would be good too...

First off, LaSalle CAN NOT drop from D1 to D3 in all sports except basketball. Schools like John Hopkins have ONE sport in D1 because they have been grandfathered in. That situation never applied to basketball, and schools no longer can have one sport in D1 if their division (D2 or D3) already sponsors the sport. So, there already are basic issues with this forum post.

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